


Happiness, or Something like that

by DigiornosPizza



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Complete, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Happy Ending, Post-Canon, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29941881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigiornosPizza/pseuds/DigiornosPizza
Summary: This fic tries its best to continue the story of the true ending without deviating from canon too much. Hilarity and sadness ensues. Light amounts of Sunburn, just because. The focus is things returning to some kind of normal for the kids because i just want them to be happy.
Relationships: Aubrey & Basil & Hero & Kel & Sunny (OMORI), Aubrey/Sunny (OMORI)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 107





	1. Kel’s Birthday

November 7, 2000

Sunny woke up at 2 pm, slightly regretting sleeping so long. He’d been trying to kick this habit, but his bed was just so comfortable in the mornings, and not having a consistent school schedule didn’t do him any favours. Since moving into the new house, he’d been doing homeschooling to catch up on the missed years. He planned on working hard enough to graduate alongside his friends next year. 

The house was small, but comfortable, roughly the size of Basil’s house back in faraway. Sunny was happy with the new house. He had always been content with the bare essentials, and he was grateful for the lack of stairs. Too many bad memories had haunted the old house, and while it had gotten harder to keep in touch with his friends, it’s not like he wasn’t used to barely talking to anyone. 

After brushing his teeth, washing his face, and getting his eyepatch on, sunny went to the kitchen to make something for breakfast. He was getting better at eating properly, and finally reaching a healthy weight. He was still as short as ever, but he wasn’t insecure about it. 

Sunny got two eggs out of the fridge and cracked them into a pan. Doing stuff like this always made him feel like an adult. It also made him think about Hero, and how mature he was. Hero was only 19, but he had the wisdom and composure of someone much older. When Sunny had told him the truth in Basil’s hospital room that summer, there wasn’t an ounce of anger in his reaction. For a while, he gripped the rail of Basil’s bed, shaking and breathing heavily. While Hero was finding words to say, Kel and Aubrey embraced Sunny. After a few minutes of tearful silence, Hero approached the group, Kel and Aubrey stepping back. Hero pulled Sunny close and said, “I’m so sorry you went through that. I know how much you loved Mari. You were so young. You made a mistake, but you’ll always be family to me.” He held the back of Sunny’s head and looked into his eye. “I forgive you. I know Mari wouldn’t want me to leave you behind.”

The phone ringing brought Sunny back to the present, just in time to turn the stove off. He plated his eggs and picked up the phone. It was Kel. “Hey Sunny, how are you doing?” Sunny had never been good at phone conversations, but he tried his best. “I’m... good. H-how are you?”

“I’m doing great! Hero’s back at college, but he’ll be back soon. You wanna know why?”

“Why?”

“My birthday, silly! It’s this Saturday. I wanted to know if you can come over that day. Everyone’s gonna be there!”

“O-of course. I’ll be there.” 

“That’s great, Sunny! Everyone’s gonna be so glad to see you. We’ll be partying all day, so show up whenever you feel like it. See you soon, buddy!”

Sunny put the phone down and realized how much he was sweating. It wasn’t even the first time he’d seen his friends since moving. Just a week after the move, they all went out for pizza and had a surprisingly good time. Nobody seemed to look at him differently, even with his eyepatch. Basil wasn’t there, though. He was still in the hospital, recovering from his much more debilitating injury. He’d stabbed himself in the stomach immediately after stabbing Sunny’s eye. It was a miracle that the ambulance got there fast enough. 

Nobody even mentioned Basil that day. 

Sunny ate his eggs in front of the TV and started doing his schoolwork. He was grateful to Kel for giving him a few days to mentally prepare for the party. Kel was a good friend. The kind of guy to push you out of your comfort zone, but be there for you the whole time. Sunny smiled at the thought of hanging out with him again.

November 10

Sunny actually managed to wake up at a decent time this morning, somewhat ironic with it being a Saturday. His mom worked from home on Saturdays, so she was in her office. Sunny decided to eat his breakfast on the porch and enjoy the rare November sunlight. Just as he sat down, his mom called from the kitchen.

“Sunny, Aubrey’s calling you!”

Aubrey? Aubrey had never called Sunny before. He came back inside, and his mom handed him the phone, returning to her office after giving sunny a playful wink.

“Sunny? You there?” Aubrey said.

“Yeah”

“You’re still coming to the party, right?”

“Yeah”

“Great. I’d hate for you to not be there. You doing okay?”

“Yeah”

“... okay, nice talking to you. See you tomorrow.”

Man, I’m an idiot, he thought as he put the phone down. His crush was stronger than ever, yet as it grew, he found it harder and harder to actually have a conversation with Aubrey. Another opportunity wasted. 

November 11

“Hey mom? I’m leaving.”

Sunny peeked his head into his mom’s office.

“Okay, sweetie. Have a great time.” She got up and hugged him. “Don’t worry about a thing. If you get too stressed out, you can call me, okay?”

“Okay. Bye mom, love you.”

Sunny’s mother had forgiven him immediately upon learning the truth about Mari. The kind of forgiveness only a mother could give. She was so good at understanding her son. 

The bus ride to faraway was only about an hour. Sunny had brought a big bag of Skittles and a vintage Orange Joe T-shirt as a gift for Kel, along with a rather heartfelt birthday card, in a grey gift bag. Kel was pretty easy to get gifts for. He was the type of guy to go through clothes quickly, either by growing out of them or staining them, so it was usually a safe bet to get him a shirt. Kel also really liked Skittles as a kid. He once ate a similarly sized bag in less than an hour. 

While it was a bit cloudy near Sunny’s new house, Faraway town had a completely clear sky above it. It was just about noon, so the sun was high and shining brilliantly. By the time Sunny stepped off the bus, Hero was just getting out of his car with a bunch of grocery bags. 

“Need help?” Sunny asked, startling Hero a bit.

“Sunny? Hey, it’s so good to see you!” Hero put his bags on the pavement and hugged Sunny. “Yeah, that’d be great, let me open the trunk.”

Hero opened the trunk of his blue Ford Escape. It looked brand new. “You like it? I got it used a few weeks ago. Only had a few hundred miles on it.” The two of them carried the bags inside. Of course, there was a two-litre bottle of Orange Joe in one of them. 

Kel nearly jumped down the stairs at the sight of his brother, and the two shared a passionate bro hug. “Sunny! How’ve you been, buddy?” Kel hugged Sunny. 

“Great. It’s good to see you two.”

“Mom’s gonna be here in a few hours with the cake, and Dad’s in the bedroom with Sally. Everyone else is gonna start trickling in here soon.”

As if on cue, someone knocked on the door. Sunny opened it, and barely had time to register who it was before pink filled his vision. Aubrey was hugging him. “It’s so good to see you, Sunny.” Aubrey let go of Sunny to go hug Hero. She even hugged Kel, which came as a bit of a surprise. But hey, it’s his birthday. 

The four of them went to the kitchen to put the groceries away. Sunny noticed that Aubrey looked different. He couldn’t place it for a while, but then he realized she wasn’t wearing her color contacts anymore. The pink was just starting to fade from her hair. And... was she wearing makeup? Kel laid out some chips on the counter and cracked open the Orange Joe. “I know it’s a bit early, but I love this stuff!”

“Who else is coming?” Sunny asked.

“Kim and Vance will be here in a bit, and I think Mikhael’s family is stopping by for a little while.” Aubrey replied. “I think a certain blue-haired girl is coming, too.” She said in a teasing voice.

Kel took a sip of Orange Joe to hide his expression. “Oh, come on Aubrey, you know we’re just friends.”

“Mmhmm.”

The group had barely noticed that Hero started putting cookie ingredients in an electric mixer. Aubrey looked excited. “Hero, you’re making cookies?”

“Yep. Mari’s recipe.” He smiled warmly.

“I’m sure they’ll be great as always.”

By the time the cookies were in the oven, Kim and Vance had shown up, and the Kids were all standing around the counter making small talk. They talked about how school was going, what they’d been up to, plans for college. Everyone was getting along pretty well. Just talking, like adults. Kim and Vance had gotten jobs at the candy store they used to shoplift from, and that came with an employee discount. “I hate to admit it, but I’m getting a little sick of candy.” Kim said. Vance disagreed. 

Eventually the party was in full swing. Hero bounced between talking to the adults and talking to the kids. Aubrey, Kel, and Sunny watched from the balcony. Aubrey broke the silence. “You starin’ at Cris, Kel?”

“What? No way! I was just... spacing out.” 

Aubrey raised an eyebrow. “You should go talk to her. I know she’s just as interested as you are.”

Kel didn’t want to admit it, but he really did want to talk to Cris. Sunny wanted him to go too, so he could talk to Aubrey. “Fine. I’ll talk to her, but don’t get any funny ideas. We’re just friends.” He walked down the stairs with his hands shaking. Kel, nervous? He must really like this girl. 

Sunny envied Kel’s courage. Cris and Kel stood by the door, nearly crying with laughter. They seemed so perfect for each other. Almost like Hero and Mari were. “Man, I’m jealous.” Aubrey sighed. “I’m gonna level with you, Sunny, there are NO cute boys in this town. None that are my type, anyway.” Sunny didn’t say anything. “You got your eye on anyone in the city?”

“I haven’t really met anyone yet.”

“Oh. You’re not going to school yet, right?”

“Yeah, I’m doing homeschool.”

“That’s cool. You remembering to go outside every once in a while?”

“Yeah. There’s a big park by my house. Lots of trails too. I go for walks a lot.”

“And you’re eating better? I can tell.”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “I actually ate a lemon yesterday.”

Aubrey’s eyes went wide. “You ate a lemon? Like the whole thing?”

“I thought they were just yellow oranges.”

Aubrey looked at the floor and giggled. “Man, you’re weird. I mean that in a good way.”

Kel’s mom finally came in carrying the cake. She put the box down in the kitchen and called everyone to watch Kel open his presents. Everyone gathered around Kel on the couch. He started with Hero’s gift, a brand new basketball and a framed jersey signed by Kel’s favorite player. “Wow, Hero, this is awesome! How’d you get your hands on this?”

“Oh it wasn’t too hard. I know a guy who’s friends with his cousin and he hooked me up.”

Kel got up and hugged his brother. “Thanks Hero. I love it.”

Next was Aubrey’s gift, a vintage Captain Spaceboy poster, in pristine condition. 

Kel opened a bunch of cards from friends and his extended family, and then Sunny remembered he left his gift out in the driveway. He went outside to go get it. Sunny picked up the bag, and saw Basil at the end of the street. “Basil?” The blonde boy started speed walking in the other direction. Sunny went back inside and gave Kel the bag.

“Skittles? You know me so well, Sunny!” He reached deeper into the bag and pulled out the T-shirt. “This is awesome! Thanks so much, buddy!”

“There’s a card, too.”

Kel opened the envelope. The front said “Happy 17th” and Sunny had written a message on the inside. Kel read it out loud. “Happy birthday Kel. I hope it’s fantastic. Thank you so much for being my friend after all these years. I will always remember the day you made me come outside. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Kel started to tear up, but stopped himself. “Thank you Sunny, that’s really nice.” He hugged him. 

Everyone gathered in the kitchen for cake, and on the way Aubrey said, “Wow Sunny, I didn’t know you could be so sappy. I wonder what you’ll write for MY birthday.” She laughed, and Sunny blushed a little.

They sang happy birthday, and while most people hate having the song sung to them, Kel took it with a smile on his face the whole time. Kim and Vance started whisper-chanting “Speech, speech, speech”

“Okay, okay. I... am glad everyone’s here. That’s, uhh... pretty much it.”

“Wow, Kel. You have such a way with words.” Aubrey said sarcastically.

Except Basil wasn’t here. Sunny didn’t want to bring it up. Did something happen? Would they really not invite him? They forgave Sunny so easily, but he never saw them talk to Basil after that. They left before he woke up. Had they really gone back on their promise?

The party started to wind down, and Kim, Vance, and Mikhael’s family went home, leaving the Four and Cris. Aubrey and Cris actually seemed to get along well, and they talked for a bit. They started whispering and giggling, in the way girls do. Kel leaned in towards Hero. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

“I’ll give you one guess.”

“Is it me?”

“Probably.”

Sunny overheard the word “Lemon”. Aubrey was telling Cris the lemon story. He looked at the floor and smiled. 

The five of them decided to watch a movie. Hero brought out one of his favorite movies, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Kel sat next to Cris and Aubrey on the couch, and Hero and Sunny sat on the floor. Sunny really enjoyed the movie. Aubrey and Hero were the only ones who’d seen it before, and they were making hilarious comments the whole time. The movie reminded him of his last few days in Faraway, and it was an odd feeling to be nostalgic for something that happened only a few months ago. 

At one point he looked behind him and saw Kel holding hands with Cris. Smooth, Kel. After the movie, Cris went home, giving Kel a quick kiss on the cheek on her way out. Aubrey shot him a glance that said, “I told you so, you big dummy.” Kel was a real charmer, just like Hero. It must be genetic. 

The four of them sat in the living room eating pizza, reminiscing on old times. 

“How’s your eye, Sunny?” Hero asked.

“Oh, it’s fine.” Don’t mention Basil, he thought. “They had to take it out. I’m still waiting for a prosthetic.”

“Man, what a crazy night that was.”

Kel tried to change the subject. “That reminds me, do you guys want to stay the night? It’ll be fun.”

Aubrey said “sure.”

“Great, but I get the couch!”

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “I get the couch.”

“Yeah, okay, okay. What about you, Sunny?”

“Yeah. I just need to call my mom first.” Kel showed him where the house phone was. He dialled his mom’s number. “Hi mom. It’s Sunny.”

“Hi sweetie. Do you want me to come pick you up?”

“No I was actually wondering if it’s okay if I sleep over.”

“Oh, Sunny, of course you can! Just be sure to brush your teeth. I love you.”

“Love you too, mom, bye.”

Sunny came back to the living room with just Aubrey there. “Where’s Kel and Hero?”

“Kel’s in the bathroom, Hero’s talking to his parents. Come here, sit by me.”

He sat to her right on the couch. Neither of them talked for a moment. “I hate to bring this up,” Sunny said. “But why isn’t Basil here?”

Aubrey winced. “We... invited him. But I don’t think he wants to talk to us anymore.”

“He doesn’t? Or you don’t?”

“...” She didn’t want to bring up the past, but she had to. “He stabbed your eye out, Sunny. He attacked you.”

“So? I cut you with a knife.”

“ I deserved that. I was being stupid.” 

“I forgave Basil for my eye. I’m not mad at him about it.”

“Well also...”

“Also what?”

“He- I won’t say it.”

“Tell me.”

Aubrey looked Sunny straight in the eye. “He hanged Mari. He hanged your sister.”

Sunny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Tears started to well up.

“I’m sorry if I’m being insensitive, but Basil isn’t normal. That’s why we can’t just... be normal with him.”

Sunny didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything.

“That’s just my thoughts on the matter. I can’t speak for Kel and Hero, but they haven’t talked to him either.”

Sunny had called Basil on the phone plenty of times since the move, and he never gave any indication that things had changed between him and the group. Why wouldn’t they forgive Basil? They had hanged Mari together. It was Basil’s idea, but Sunny went along with it. Why’d they forgive Sunny, but not Basil?

Aubrey put her hand on his arm. “Hey, I’m sorry. I know you really care about Basil, but I just don’t know what to feel about him right now. There’s been a lot of pain between us. It’ll take some time for that to go away.” 

“It’s fine.” He lied. “I guess I’m just out of the loop sometimes.”

Kel walked into the living room and saw Aubrey holding Sunny’s arm. “Woah, what’s going on in here?”

“It’s nothing Kel, shut up.” She went back to the other end of the couch.

The mood was lightened as soon as Hero came back carrying a stack of quilts. Aubrey got settled on the couch, while the boys debated making a blanket fort. Hero vetoed the idea, not wanting to make too much of a mess. They all talked for a while about a variety of topics, ranging from deep to mundane. Mari was even brought up a few times. The friends shared laughs, smiles, and tears just like they did when they were wide-eyed innocent kids who didn’t know loss. It was a nice conversation, and Sunny felt very loved by his friends, but he wished Basil was here, and that everything was normal. 

Eventually, they all said goodnight. The brothers fell asleep nearly instantly, snuggled up next to each other like old times. Aubrey shifted around restlessly. Sunny didn’t feel tired at all. After an hour or two, he got up off the floor and walked to the front door. 

“Sunny, what are you doing?” Aubrey whispered, peeking up over the back of the couch. 

Sunny sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Are you going to see Basil?”

“I... I doubt he’s awake.”

“I’ll come with you.”

They got up and walked out the front door. Aubrey brought her blanket with her, wearing it around her shoulders. 

“Sunny, I shouldn’t have said those things about Basil. I didn’t mean it. I’m just-“

“Scared of him?”

“No, I’m not scared of him, I’m just scared of talking to him again.”

“That’s how I felt.”

She stopped walking. “What?”

“When I didn’t leave the house for four years. It was because of Basil. And you. And everyone. But it wasn’t worth it. I never should have left you all behind.”

“...”

“Remember what Hero said? About being there for each other? When did that stop being true?”

“You’re right.” Aubrey sighed. “We can’t leave him behind again.”

Sunny smiled at her.

“You’re getting to be a lot like Hero, you know?”

“Huh?”

“You’re a lot more mature, and, uh, manlier.” She blushed. “You know what I mean, dummy!”

They continued to Basil’s house. The last time any of them were there, Sunny lost an eye, and Basil nearly killed himself. Sunny wondered if there were still bloodstains in the carpet of Basil’s bedroom. 

“So what’s the plan?” Aubrey asked. “Do we just knock on the door at 3 am?”

“We should probably go to the back.”

They found Basil’s bedroom window cracked open. Basil was asleep. Aubrey didn’t even wait to climb through the window. Basil woke up, saw her pink hair and immediately knew it was her. “Aubrey? What are you doing?” He whispered, trying not to wake up Polly in the next room.

“Get up.”

“Wh- What?”

“Get up. I need to hug you.” 

The blonde boy slowly got up. Aubrey pulled him close as Sunny entered. The entrance was a little clumsy, as the window was small and high off the floor. He looked up from the floor. Aubrey was crying already?

“I’m so sorry, Basil. I treated you like trash for years and you never deserved any of it! I’m sorry! Even now I’ve left you behind and ignored you! What’s wrong with me?”

Sunny just stayed on the floor. Basil hadn’t even seen him yet. He was probably confused more than anything else. Sunny couldn’t hear what Basil was saying, but it sounded like he was crying harder than he ever had.

Basil looked up and saw his best friend. “S- Sunny? I’m so happy to see you! What are you doing here?”

“We just came to visit a friend.” He hugged Basil. Even Sunny was crying now. 

The three of them sat in a circle and talked about everything that had happened in the past few months. Sunny examined the carpet to see that there WERE distinct bloodstains. One from where Sunny fell face first, fainting after being stabbed in the eye by his best friends. The other from where Basil decided there was no way out of this. It’s a miracle they both survived, judging by the size of the stains. Might as well cover the entire carpet with blood, to make it look consistent. 

“We should probably get some sleep.” Sunny said.

“Basil... we’re staying here, if that’s alright.”

Basil smiled at Aubrey with tears in his eyes. He got back in his bed. Sunny and Aubrey got comfortable by sitting up against the side of the bed with the blanket over their shoulders. It reminded Sunny of the day they went to the beach, and he pretended to be asleep on Aubrey’s shoulder. A moment when everything was perfect. This time, they were both awake. Sunny grabbed her hand. She leaned in closer to him. A silent little conversation that said “I know exactly who you are now, and I love it.” 

November 12

Basil’s alarm went off at 7 am. The first thing out of Aubrey’s mouth was “Don’t tell Kel about this.” They all got up and Aubrey started through the window. “Come on Basil, we’re going to Kel’s house.”

Aubrey came into the kitchen to find Hero and Kel making breakfast together. Hero looked surprised. “Where’d you go, Aubrey? We woke up and you and Sunny were just gone!”

“We decided someone was missing.”

Sunny walked in with Basil. “Happy Birthday, Kel. I’m sorry I didn’t come to the party yesterday. I didn’t get you a present either.”

“That’s fine, Basil. I’m just glad you’re here now.”

“Now who’s ready for some scrambled eggs?” Hero said. 

The five of them ate a big breakfast together, promising to forgive each other for every mistake, every harsh word, every bad feeling.

Aubrey and Sunny left to walk Basil home. The brothers stayed back to clean up after everyone said goodbye. They had to bring him around the back so Polly wouldn’t notice. 

Aubrey waited with Sunny for the bus. “Can you call me sometime? And have a real conversation? I know you can do it.”

“I’ll try.”

“I’m not convinced.”

Sunny laughed. “I promise you I’ll call.”

She smiled. “Good.” The bus pulled up. “Maybe the next time I see you it can be just the two of us.” She stepped closer.

“What, like a-“

“A date, dummy. To get you out of the house.” She kissed him.

Sunny blinked, and she was already walking away. He looked to his left and saw Kel staring at him through the window. He had seen everything. Kel opened the window and stuck his head out. “Happy birthday to both of us, huh?”

They laughed. “See you later, Kel. Happy birthday.” 

Sunny got on the bus with an unusually large smile on his face. Things would be okay for a while. Better than okay.


	2. The date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny and Aubrey go on a date, but neither of them are prepared, mentally or otherwise.

November 17th

It had almost been a week since the party, and Aubrey had made a point to spend time with Basil. She would go to his house after school and work on homework with him. They didn’t ask Kel to join them, because Kel was infamously hard to study with. 

Basil sat cross-legged on his bed, and Aubrey sat against the side of it the same way she did a week ago, staring at her phone. She had bought it for a few bucks from Kim’s dad when he upgraded. It was old, oversized, and damaged, but it let her talk to Sunny, so she did all she could to afford the plan. She had his number typed in, with her thumb hovering over the call button.

“You okay, Aubrey?”

“I’m debating whether or not to call Sunny.”

“A-are you two...”

She glanced back up at him. “I suggest you be very careful with what you’re about to say.”

“N-Nevermind.” 

She sighed. “But yes, I do like him.” She started playing with her hair. “I just wish he would open up more.”

“Sunny’s hard to understand sometimes... but I know he likes you back. He has for a long time.”

“Really? Even when we were kids?”

“Yeah, remember that day we went to the beach? Oh wait, I can’t tell that story.” He laughed.

Aubrey looked back to her phone. “Has he called you since the party?”

“Yeah. He called me on Wednesday.”

“Did he say anything about me?”

“No. We just talked about school and stuff.”

She threw her head back. “Ugh. I’m calling him.”

No answer. She called again. No answer. “I swear to god, if he’s ignoring me... Basil, you call him.”

Basil called. Sunny was on the other end. “Uh, hey Sunny. Aubrey wants to talk to you.”

Sunny kicked himself for that one. He should’ve known. You’ve really done it this time, idiot. If you hang up now, you’ll really look like a jerk. 

Aubrey took the handset from Basil. “What’s your problem, Sunny? Why are you ignoring me?” 

If you don’t say something in the next five seconds, she’ll hate you forever. “I’m sorry, I’ve just been... uh, nervous.”

“I get that, but jeez, a girl kisses you and you suddenly can’t talk to her anymore?” She blushed hard, realising Basil was still here. Basil looked ecstatic.

“Sorry. Did you want to hang out soon?”

“Duh. I’ve been dying to see you.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Just get over here and we’ll figure something out.”

“Just the two of us?”

Aubrey pressed her palm to her forehead. “Yes. It’s a date.”

“Like... today?”

“Yes, today.”

You have to say yes. He wasn’t mentally prepared for this. “Okay... see you soon.” He hung up.

Sunny was nearly ripping his hair out over that. Ignoring people never did you any good. He got lucky this time. He needed to stop doing that. His mom wouldn’t be home until late tonight, so he left her a note. It didn’t say anything about Aubrey, just that he was going to Faraway. He took the next bus.

Aubrey gave the phone back to Basil, slightly defeated. “I’m being too forward, aren’t I? He’s clearly not that interested.” She buried her face in her knees. “I’m probably gonna scare him away and he’s never gonna talk to me again.”

Basil sat next to her. “Sunny has trouble expressing himself. But I can tell he really likes you. He’s been through a lot. We all have.”

“Thanks Basil. I’d better go get ready.”

She took her bike to Kim’s mom’s house and knocked on the door.

Vance answered it. “Sup, Aubrey?”

“Is Kim here? I need to talk to her.”

“Nah, she’s on shift right now. You gonna talk about girl stuff?”

“Umm... yes.”

“Like boys?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“I can give some good advice-“

“I don’t want your advice, Vance.”

“Alright, that’s cool. See you later.” 

Sunny would be here in about 45 minutes. Aubrey needed more time. And riding her bike around wasn’t helping. She felt like taking a shower. 

Kim was at the candy store’s counter. Aubrey almost didn’t recognise her in her uniform. “Aubrey! How goes it?”

“It’s going alright. You liking your new job?”

“No! The employee discount isn’t worth it! I’m not even allowed to wear my glasses during work hours! Is that illegal? It seems illegal.”

“Anyway, I have a date in half an hour and I need your advice. Do you have much experience with boys?”

“Aubrey’s going on a date? With who, Kel?”

“What!? No! Why would I go on a date with Kel!?

“I don’t know. You’re both total nerds? Anyway, I’ve gone on plenty of dates, and here’s my advice to you: Nine times out of ten, boys are STUPID.”

Aubrey smirked. “I could’ve told you that. I meant like, what should we do?”

“Take him to Gino’s or something, I don’t know. That’s where I went for all of my first dates.”

“Have you ever gone on a second date.”

Kim looked down. “No...”

“Well thanks anyway, Kim. I gotta go get ready.” She turned to leave.

“Wait, you haven’t told me who it is yet!”

“Oh, it’s Sunny. He’s on his way here right now.”

“Sunny? Didn’t he cut you with a knife once? Maybe I need to change my strategy.”

Aubrey laughed. “Later, Kim.”

Aubrey took the rest of the time to freshen up, put on a little makeup, and brush her hair. She was starting to hate the pink, just a little bit. It reminded her too much of the worst time of her life.

She got to the bus stop and waited, dreading the possibility that Kel would come outside and ruin the date. She still had no plan. Maybe they could go to the lake and chat? She smirked at the fact they still called it a lake. In reality it was just an unusually deep pond. She hadn’t eaten all day, but she didn’t want to pressure sunny into buying her food. She always hated people buying her things.

Sunny stepped off the bus. He kind of just... stood there for a moment. Aubrey didn’t think he looked like himself. “Hi Sunny.”

“Hi.” He wouldn’t really look at her.

“You ready?”

“Where are we going?”

She had to take a moment to decide. “Let’s go to the lake. It’s quiet there.”

They sat on the dock together. It was surprisingly warm outside, despite it being 5 pm in the middle of November. 

Aubrey was telling Sunny about funny things that had happened at school recently. Vance slipped on some milk in the lunch room, and managed to stay upright, while catching everything that flew off his tray. “And then today, Mikhael slipped in the exact same spot, and he fell right on his butt! He ended up wearing his gym shorts for the rest of the day, and he took his wig off so nobody would recognise him.” Sunny let out a little laugh. “Okay, I’m talking your ear off. You tell a story now.”

“A story? Well, uh.... Nothing really interesting has happened lately. I... saw a cat yesterday.”

“Cute. What color?”

“It was white. I think it belongs to one of my neighbors. I was eating breakfast on my porch and it came up to me. It actually let me pet it for a second.”

“Aww. You seem good with cats.”

“Yeah. Reminded me of Mewo, actually.”

“What ever happened to Mewo?”

Sunny looked out over the lake. “I don’t know. She kinda just stopped coming home after Mari died.” 

They sat in silence for a bit. “Sunny, you look really tired.”

“Huh? No, I’m fine.”

Aubrey played with her hair. “Sunny... did you really want to come here today?”

“I- of course I did. That’s why I said yes.”

“Yeah, but did you feel... pressured?”

“Well... maybe a little. I really do want to spend time with you, but I wish.... It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been ignoring you. Sorry. I’m just... bad at expressing myself.”

She looked at him. “That’s what Basil said.”

“Yeah. He’s right.”

“You’re getting better. Remember when you didn’t talk at all? I’m sorry for being forceful, Sunny. I just really wanted to see you again.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Kel did something similar, and it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

“I like the way you think, Sunny.”

He smiled and grabbed her hand. “I promise that next time, I’ll ask you on a date.”

She smiled from ear to ear. “Next time?”

“Yeah. Maybe I can pay your bus fare and you can come see where I live.”

“That sounds like a great idea.” She sneezed.

“Bless you.”

“Thank you.” She fixed her hair. “Should I go back to my natural hair color?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Oh, I’m just getting kind of tired of the pink. I know I dyed it for Mari, but-“

“It’s not the hair she knew you with.”

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“Go for it. It’d be cute.”

They both blushed. They kept talking until sunset. The two left the woods holding hands and were startled by a bright flash. Basil had just taken a picture. Kel stood right behind him. “That’s gonna be a good one.” 

Aubrey got immediately flustered. “Basil! Why’d you bring Kel here?”

“Sorry, Aubrey. He heard the rumors and started asking questions.” He laughed. 

Kel scratched his head, guilty. “Hey, no judgement here! I think you two are a cute couple!”

“Kel, you have five seconds to go home before I get my bat!”

Basil and Kel took off running, laughing hysterically. 

Aubrey smirked. “So hard to get some privacy around here. He’s right, though. We are cute.”

Sunny agreed. This was the kind of stuff he missed about Faraway. 

They walked to the bus stop. The bus was already there, so they said a quick goodbye. Sunny put his hands on Aubrey’s shoulders and kissed her. Yeah, he likes you, she thought.


	3. The New Hero’s Eve party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Hero’s birthday, and New Years. Hero gives Sunny a man-to-man talk.

December 31, 2000

The rest of November was filled with many more hangouts, dates, and memories. Aubrey even agreed to a double date with Kel and Cris. They went to a roller rink in Sunny’s town and had a great time. 

Soon it was Christmas, the first one spent together since losing Mari. Among the gifts exchanged was a new photo album for Basil. Despite Aubrey’s protests, the first phi hi oto to go in the album was the one taken by surprise on her and Sunny’s first date. 

In the spirit of reviving old traditions, the group eagerly awaited the New Hero’s Eve party, the combination of Hero’s birthday on January 1st and New Years. Everyone was excited for the caffeine-fuelled festivities the night would bring. 

The day arrived, and at around 5 Sunny got on the bus to Faraway. His mom had gotten him a cell phone for Christmas, and he decided to call Aubrey on the way there. 

“Hey Aubrey. I’m on my way.”

“Cool. Everyone else is already here. I’m excited to see you. I have a surprise for you.”

“What?”

She hung up. Classic spontaneous Aubrey.

Sunny arrived at the house with a card for Hero. He’d practically begged everyone to not get him anything. Sunny had put a few bucks in the card anyway. 

He knocked on the door. Kim answered. “Aubrey, your boyfriend’s here!” Sunny blushed. There was no use hiding things anymore. Aubrey approached, and Sunny almost didn’t recognise her. Her hair was black again, and she looked stunning. She greeted him with a kiss. Kim visibly recoiled. 

“You like my surprise?” Aubrey said.

“Yeah. You look amazing.” He had a surprise, too, but he was saving it for later.

“Have you gotten taller?”

He laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“You need a drink.” She grabbed his hand. “By which I mean Red Bull.” She led him to the kitchen and they each grabbed a can. Sunny had tried Red Bull once before, and it didn’t have much of an effect on him. He kind of liked the taste, though. 

Kel and Basil were up on the balcony. Kel had a Red Bull. Caffeine had always made Basil anxious, so he stayed away from the stuff. 

Aubrey groaned as she and Sunny went up the stairs. “If Kel got into the Red Bull, we’re in for a rough night.” 

“Hey Sunny, glad you could make it! What’ve you been up to lately?” Kel was wearing the Orange Joe shirt from his birthday.

“I got a job. I clean an office building near my house.”

“Nice! Do you like it?”

“I guess it’s kind of relaxing. It’s something easy for me.”

Hero came out of his parents room. “Hey guys. Oh, hey Sunny! Nice hair, Aubrey.”

“Thanks, Hero.”

“You kind of look like Mari now, actually.”

“Ew, Hero, don’t say that! I’m dating her brother!”

Sunny thought it was hilarious, but tried his best not to laugh. 

Hero’s eyes went wide. “Wait, you two are dating?”

Aubrey was shocked. “Uh, yeah. You didn’t notice at Christmas?”

“No, I guess I’m pretty bad at noticing that kind of thing.”

“We kissed under the mistletoe and you took a picture of it with Basil’s camera.”

“Oh. Right, I must have forgotten.” He laughed. “Well good for you two. It seems to be going well.”

Eventually Kel went to go talk to Cris. Aubrey suggested Basil should go take pictures of them as payback for the earlier incidents. 

Hero told some stories about college. He’d recently changed courses, now studying to become a child psychologist. Hero’s stories about college life only made Sunny less excited about the possibility. Loud neighbors, messy roommates, long nights of studying. Sunny may have spent four years as a shut-in who could barely take care of himself, but he prided himself in the fact that he consistently kept his room clean. “I’m pretty sure I’m the only one in my dorm who knows how the dishwasher works.” Hero let out a tired laugh. 

Aubrey got a text from Kim. 

At home. Need help choosing new outfit. Spilled soda on self.

“Oh man. I gotta go help Kim. I’ll be right back.”

A somewhat awkward silence fell over Hero and Sunny. They hadn’t really talked one-on-one since the hospital.

“So Sunny, how long have you and Aubrey been a thing?”

“Since November.”

“Ah, so you’re still in THAT phase.” Sunny didn’t know what he meant. “I guess that’s where Mari and I were. We were only fifteen, so who knows if it was love or not. I like to think it was.” Sunny could see where this was going. “If there’s one thing I know about relationships, it’s that it’s all about communication. You really like Aubrey, don’t you?”

“Yeah. I like her a lot.”

“Make sure you tell her that as much as possible.” Hero sighed. “You know I’d give anything to have Mari back. But I need to move on eventually.” He looked at Sunny and smiled. “You can still call me your brother-in-law if you want, though.” Sunny was very touched to hear that. He smiled back at him. “Man, you all seem so grown up now. I’m turning twenty tomorrow, but I definitely don’t feel twenty.”

“I’m still twelve in my dreams.” They both laughed, even though Sunny wasn’t joking.

Basil returned. “I got a great picture! Remind you of anything?” He showed them the photo. Kel and Cris had their faces close together, smiling brightly. It was a nearly perfect recreation of one of the photos of Hero and Mari.

Hero looked so proud. “That settles it. The charm is genetic.” 

“This one’s definitely going in the album.”

Sunny was glad to see Hero being so lighthearted about Mari. It seemed like he was ready to move on. 

Aubrey came back. “What did I miss?”

Hero suavely leaned on the railing. “I gave Sunny the talk.”

“The talk?” She raised an eyebrow. 

Basil looked more confused than she did. “Aubrey, look at this picture I took!”

“Oh my gosh, that is SO cute!” She was genuinely enthusiastic. Over the past few months, Aubrey had completely dropped her delinquent facade. Even the scooter gang had quit trying to look so edgy.

The group talked for a few more hours, with various others dropping in and out of the conversation. It was soon 11:50, so Hero turned on the TV to watch the ball drop in Times Square. The end of the year 2000 was soon approaching. As the ball dropped, Aubrey and Cris coincidentally had the same idea to kiss their boyfriends exactly at midnight. Kel gave Sunny an energetic high five. Once the cheers of “Happy New Year” died down, everyone transitioned immediately into singing happy birthday to Hero. 

By 1 am, all of the others had gone home, leaving only the five friends. They had invited Cris and Kim to stay as well, but they were already exhausted. 

Basil was showing everyone the pictures he took that night. Aubrey pointed out someone in one of the photos. “Who’s that?”

Basil laughed. “That’s you.”

She looked confused, then remembered that she had dyed her hair again. “Haha, right. Duh.”

They all gathered around Basil’s new album and put the photos in together, writing captions as they went along. Kel’s favorite photo was of him after cracking open a red bull and getting a few drops in his eye. Sunny was reminded of his surprise. “Hey guys, I have to show you something.” He winced internally at his word choice, but he was sure nobody else noticed. Everyone looked at him in anticipation.

Sunny removed his eyepatch. It was the first time he’d taken it off in front of anyone. He now had a glass eye, and the difference was barely visible. The only sign of damage was the scarring on his eyelid, but even that was hard to see. 

They were all happy for Sunny, but no one was happier than Basil. He hugged his friend, crying tears of joy. “Sunny, can I take a picture of you?” Sunny agreed. As Basil readied his camera, a bright smile grew on Sunny’s face. Sunny normally never smiled for pictures. 

The moment had everyone in tears. Nobody had paid much attention to Sunny’s eyepatch, but it was always a reminder of the terrible night the friends found Basil and Sunny covered in blood, unconscious on the floor. Hero remembered it more vividly than the others. The sound of Sunny collapsing woke everyone up. Polly was the first to see the brutal scene, and she ran to Basil as he started to pass out. Hero told Aubrey to call 911 and told Kel to get towels to stop the bleeding. After that, he wouldn’t let the others in the room. Kel and Aubrey had no way of knowing that the two boys were still breathing, so they were convinced they were dead. It all seemed so distant now. Like it happened to someone else.

For Sunny and Basil, the memories of that night were a part of a much longer story. The thought that they went through that and emerged as better friends and better people was of great comfort to them. 

The friends called it a night and went to sleep in the living room. Aubrey curled up on the couch as usual while the boys were on the floor. 

Aubrey reached down and nudged Sunny’s shoulder. “Hey, Sunny.”

He rolled over and looked up at her.

“Your scar looks cute.”

He smiled and rolled back over. “Happy New Year.”


	4. Camping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny planned a camping trip for his 17th birthday. Being out in nature should be good for him.

July 19

Sunny was the youngest of the group, and he would be turning 17 tomorrow. The brothers had thrown birthday parties similar to their own for Basil and Aubrey, but when the time came to plan Sunny’s birthday, he suggested a different kind of gathering. Mari and him had always talked about hiking somewhere with the group and camping for a night or two. Sunny had loved the idea, but they were all kind of young to be camping out on their own. Now that they were all older, the idea crossed his mind again, and he had picked a perfect destination. He called Hero with his idea and they planned the trip together. They’d hike up on the 19th, then camp for two nights. Everyone was on board. 

Over the past few months, Cris started hanging out with the group more. She seemed to be a natural addition, somewhat bridging the gap between Kel and Aubrey. She was coming on the trip too. 

Aubrey invited Kim, but she wasn’t all that interested.

Today was the day, and in order to get to the mountain in time everyone was at Hero and Kel’s house by 5 am. Sunny took an early bus. Hero called him on the way. “Hey Sunny. Sorry you had to wake up so early. I’ve got coffee ready for you when you get here.”

“Thanks Hero. We’re all riding in your car, right?”

“Yeah. There’s only five seats, so Kel’s riding with the bags in the back. Everything’s already packed in there. This should be fun. See you in a bit.”

It was still dark out when he got to the house. Everyone was in the kitchen drinking coffee. Hero handed Sunny a cup. “You like it black?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Hero.”

Everyone finished their coffee and got in Hero’s car. Basil was in the passenger seat, half asleep. Sunny, Aubrey, and Cris were in the back seat, and Kel was behind them. They had a nearly four hour drive ahead. 

“What’s the plan, Hero?” Aubrey said.

“Well, we’re gonna get there at around 9:30, and then it’ll take a few hours to hike up to the lake, depending on how many breaks we take. Then we’ll set up camp, I’ll make us some dinner, and then we’ll sleep under the stars for two nights. Should be a great time.”

Kel was excited. “Yeah! This was a great idea, Sunny!”

“I’m gonna swim in the lake when we get up there.” Cris said. “You’ll join me, right Kel?”

“Sure! As long as it’s not too cold.”

Hero laughed, knowing it would be. The lake was made up of glacier runoff.

A few hours into the car ride, Sunny was a little envious of Basil. He’d been asleep the entire trip so far. Hero casually drummed on the steering wheel, even though there wasn’t any music playing. Everyone else was just staring blankly ahead. The caffeine was wearing off. 

Kel poked his head up over the seat. “Hero, we gotta stop somewhere for food or something. This party is dead.”

“What, like McDonald’s?”

“Yes! Perfect!”

“Alright. I’ll stop at the next one I see.” It didn’t take long to find one. “Anyone need to use the restroom?” 

“Nope! All good here!” Kel said.

“Somehow I know that if you don’t go now, you’ll make me stop again in about five minutes.” Hero said, only half joking. 

Hero parked and woke Basil up. Everyone went inside.

Sunny stood looking up at the menu. Aubrey stood next to him. “What’cha getting, Sunny?”

“I don’t know. Never been to McDonald’s before.”

Aubrey looked at him, shocked.

“We’ve always been more of a Wendy’s family.”

The breakfast menu was still up. “Get an egg McMuffin, they’re great.” 

They each got a McMuffin and an orange juice. 

Kel saw Aubrey’s drink. “You insult Orange Joe, yet you like orange juice?”

“Yeah, because orange juice has a real flavour. And it doesn’t make your mouth bleed.”

Kel had three McMuffins, and Hero had four. They actually managed to eat all of them. 

Cris ordered a McMuffin and a hash brown. “Hey guys, check this out.” She opened up the sandwich and put the hash brown inside. 

Kel was amazed. “How did I never think of that?” Cris gave him a bite. 

Basil got a breakfast burrito. He was still half-asleep, but Sunny tried talking to him anyway.

“You excited, Basil?”

“Yeah. I like being out in nature. I’m sure I’ll get some good pictures too. I brought a disposable camera so my good one wouldn’t get damaged.” He finished his burrito. “I hope the hike isn’t too difficult, ha ha.”

“We might have to carry you two if things get bad.” Aubrey laughed at her joke.

“You might. I’ve never been on an actual hike before. I’m really excited though!”

Everyone got back in the car and continued on their way. 

Hero turned on some 80’s radio station and the group sang along for the rest of the drive. It took some convincing to get Sunny to sing, but eventually he joined in. He was better at remembering the lyrics than anyone else. He actually had an impressive falsetto, showing it off during “Take on me”.

They got to the trailhead parking lot, and there was nobody else there. “Huh. I assumed this was a more popular spot.” Hero said. He opened the trunk and everyone put on a bag. Hero’s bag had his camping stove, cookware, and lantern. Kel’s bag had most of the food. Sunny and Basil had everyone’s extra clothes and jackets, and Aubrey and Cris each carried three sleeping bags. Hero also carried his pocket knife and machete. 

Kel was surprised when he pulled it out of the car. “You brought a machete?”

“Hey, you never know. It could come in handy.”

They set off on the trail, Hero leading the way. He’d often have to slow down to let the others catch up. They all fared quite well, despite the intense inclines.

They took their first break about half an hour in. Everyone had a newfound appreciation for water. “Man, maybe I should’ve brought more.” Hero said. Everyone was carrying a one-liter bottle. “Once we get to the lake, we’ll have to boil some water to fill back up. Luckily I brought plenty of propane.”

“Why don’t we drink that? I love that stuff!” Kel said.

Aubrey looked at him. “You’re thinking of Propel.”

“Oh, yeah. Right.”

The trail brought them to a high point where they could look down at the lake. Hero pointed out the location they were staying. “Right on the left is where we’ll set up.”

“Hey, that’s not too far! We’re practically already there.” Kel said.

“Yeah, but we’ll have to loop all the way around the lake to get there.”

“Dang.”

Sunny and Basil were exhausted by this point, and Kel and Aubrey weren’t doing much better. Cris and Hero didn’t look tired at all. 

Hero noticed how tired Kel was. “Man, Kel. How are you gonna get a basketball scholarship without any endurance?”

Basil took a few pictures of the view. He and Sunny had never seen anything like it. Nothing but mountains for miles. Civilisation hardly existed out here. “You ever hear about light pollution, Sunny? Out here, there aren’t any streetlights or buildings, so we should be able to see lots of stars tonight.” Sunny remembered stargazing with Mari. She’d point out constellations to him, and he’d always be so amazed. He probably still remembered a lot of them. 

“That one’s Pisces. It’s my star sign, because my birthday’s March first.” She’d point to another one. “That’s cancer. That’s your star sign. What do you want to do on your birthday, Sunny? I can’t believe you’re almost twelve already. You’re growing up so fast.”

Sunny realised he’d been spacing out, and looked around for his friends. He couldn’t see them. He began to panic until Basil grabbed his hand. Everyone was still nearby. “Did you think we left you behind, Sunny?” Sunny let out a sigh of relief. “You know we’d never do that to you.”

The rest of the hike was downhill, so the group made it all the way without stopping again. They made it to the campsite, a clearing near the lake shore. They were the only people there. “Looks like we’ve got the whole place to ourselves!” Hero said. Everyone was relieved to get the packs off.

Kel went around testing the weight of the other bags. “I knew it! My bag was way heavier!”

“Well good job, Kel. Nothing like carrying a heavy pack uphill to put some hair on your chest!”

Basil helped Hero get dinner started while Kel and Cris jumped in the lake. They didn’t seem to mind how cold it was. Aubrey and Sunny sat on a rock with their feet in the water. 

Aubrey took a deep breath. “Man. Never thought I could sweat this much.” She turned to him. The sun bounced off her hair beautifully. “This was a great idea, Sunny. I’m glad we can all celebrate your birthday together again.” She put her hand on his. He smiled at her. “Now that I think of it, it’s almost been a year since... all that happened.”

He looked out over the water. “I’m glad I came outside. And it may sound weird, but... getting stabbed in the eye may have been the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

“You’re lucky you slept through that. We thought you were dead. You were out for a long time. Longest night of my life.”

“Mine too. I had... a weird dream that night.”

She looked at him. “You want to tell me about it?”

“It was about... Mari. I finally got to...” He held in his tears. “I finally got to play in the recital with her.” He took a deep breath. “That’s what finally made me tell you the truth. That’s when I finally forgave myself.”

“Do you have dreams like that often?”

“Not anymore. I used to dream a lot about the way things used to be. It was actually during those last few days in faraway that my dreams started... screaming at me. That I needed to say Something.”

Aubrey wanted to cry. “I had no idea you were dealing with that. You’ve come a long way, Sunny. I know Mari’s proud of you.” He didn’t answer. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry I brought all this up.”

“Don’t be. It’s good to get it out every now and then. Nothing worse than keeping it inside.” 

“You’re right. It is good.”

Hero called everyone over for dinner. He’d made chilli from scratch. Aubrey was amazed. “Wow, Hero, you really went all out! How’d you do it?”

“I cut everything up and put it in bags last night. All I had to do was put it in the pot. Dig in, everyone! I hope you enjoy it!”

It was amazing. Nobody could stop complimenting Hero’s talent after eating his chilli. “Is it too spicy? I think I made it too spicy.”

“Its perfect, Hero.” Basil said. “You’ve got a real gift.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you all enjoy it! I really love cooking for all of you again.”

The sun began to set. Everyone put on their jackets and set out their sleeping bags. There didn’t seem to be any chance of rain and it was a warm night, so the only concern was bugs. Luckily, Hero brought plenty of bug spray.

The sleeping bags were all arranged in a circle around the lantern, and the friends gathered around it and talked for a while. Hero checked his watch. “It’s almost eleven. We should probably get some rest. I’ve got some plans for us tomorrow.” Everyone got into their sleeping bags. Hero turned the lantern off. He gasped. “Hey guys, look up.”

The night sky was more vivid than they’d ever seen it. They spent another half hour just looking at the stars. Everyone fell asleep.

Sunny was in white space. No OMORI, no lightbulb, and no door. His violin was there, and so was Aubrey. Not dream Aubrey, real Aubrey. She knelt down and pet Mewo. Sunny didn’t say anything to her. He didn’t like to talk to the dreams anymore. Aubrey noticed the violin. “ can you play something for me, OMORI?” Hearing that name made him look down at his hands just to make sure. He was not OMORI.

“Why’d you call me that?”

“Sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She picked up the violin and bow and handed them to him. “Play something.”

He glared angrily at her.

“Please?”

He threw the violin aside. It fell down a staircase that was suddenly there. It never reached the bottom. 

“Sunny! Why would you do that?”

He covered his ears and closed his eyes, already tearing up. “You’re not allowed to say that to me!” The top of the staircase came closer to him. Aubrey kept yelling at him. “Leave me alone!” He pushed her. But he wasn’t facing the stairs. She fell onto the floor. 

She sat up and stared at him, furious. “I hate you, Sunny.” She kicked his shin. He fell down the stairs, breaking his neck on the first step. 

Sunny woke up calmly. It didn’t mean anything. Sometimes a dream is just stupid and awful and you need to stop thinking about it. He looked to his left. Aubrey had her eyes closed, but Sunny could tell she wasn’t asleep yet. Her hand was out in front of her. He gently grabbed it. She smiled. 

“Aubrey.” He whispered. She opened her eyes. “I love you.” It was the first time he’d said that to anyone other than Mari and his parents. 

Aubrey grasped his hand. “I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”

July 20

Sunny woke up with Aubrey still holding his hand. He very carefully let go to not wake her up. Everyone but Hero was still asleep. He was over by the lake making some instant coffee. 

“Happy Birthday, Sunny. Want some coffee?”

“Thanks.” Hero handed him a cup.

“How’d your school year go, Sunny?”

Sunny laughed. “It was difficult. But I’m on track to graduate on time now. I’ll be going to public school this year.”

“That’s great! Your hard work paid off. Any plans for college?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, that’s alright. Better to be undecided than to be stuck doing something you don’t want to do.”

Aubrey approached them, still looking kind of tired. “Happy Birthday, Sunny.” She hugged him. “What’s the plan today, Hero?”

“Well, it was going to be a surprise, but I might as well tell you now.” He looked out over the lake. “We’re going up there.” He pointed at a peak on the other side. 

“You’re kidding, right?”

“It’ll be easy. And we won’t need to take anything with us, so it might be easier than the way up here.”

“You’re gonna make sunny climb a mountain on his birthday?”

Hero laughed. “I’m not making him. It was his idea.”

Sunny nodded. “Should be fun.”

Aubrey laughed. “That view had better be worth it, then.”

Hero fried some bacon for breakfast, and told everyone else about the hike. As much as Kel hated the walk up here, seeing the peak in front of him made it seem more like a challenge than a chore. He was on board, and so was Cris. Basil seemed a little nervous, but the walk up boosted his confidence a bit. “I’m sure I’ll get some great pictures up there!”

They left everything at the camp and walked around to the other side of the lake. The peak seemed so much higher from this angle, but they weren’t discouraged. The began their ascent. There was a path, so the peak was clearly a popular spot. The start of the climb wasn’t very steep. They passed through a field of wildflowers. They took a short break there. 

“Hey, this isn’t bad at all!” Kel said. 

Hero laughed. “We’re not even halfway there yet, Kel.”

The next stretch was much steeper, so much so that the path had been naturally carved into crude stairs. Don’t think about stairs. 

Kel rested on the ground, forcing everyone else to stop. “Ugh, I can’t go on.”

“Come on, Kel, we’re almost there, you can do it.” Hero was lying. They still weren’t halfway.

Basil took a picture of Kel face-down in the dirt. 

After a short break, they kept going. By the halfway point, everyone was exhausted. 

Basil looked half-dead. “Maybe we should head back.”

Aubrey was breathing heavily. “We have to keep going. Didn’t come all this way for nothing.” 

Sunny admired her perseverance. They kept going, at a snails pace. The path only got steeper. Sunny had to raise his knee to his chest just to get a single step. With all the dust being kicked up, everyone’s mouths were drier than a desert. Nobody thought to bring water, seriously underestimating the climb.

Sunny noticed the plants lining the path. They’d been there the whole way up. There were pale blue berries under the leaves. “Basil, what kind of berries are these?”

Basil looked over excitedly. “They’re wild blueberries, no doubt. Should be safe to eat.” He picked one and ate it. Sure enough, they were blueberries. Sunny tried one. They were even better than the ones at the store. “Hey guys, there’s blueberries everywhere!” In his exhaustion, they were practically the best thing he’d ever tasted, and he didn’t even like blueberries all that much.

The taste and moisture of the blueberries filled everyone with determination. They kept going, eating more on the way. Though it seemed impossible a few minutes ago, they reached the top. 

The view was better than anyone had expected. They could see for miles. Sunny looked down at the camp. It was hard to believe they made it all the way up here. 

Aubrey put her arm around Sunny. “I’m impressed. I didn’t expect you to be so outdoorsy.”

“I like to surprise myself.”

“This was fun. Makes me feel like I could do anything.”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “That reminds me, I had a dream once where we climbed a ladder to space. It was kinda like this.”

“You have some weird dreams, dude.”

He laughed. He wanted to say “You have no idea”, but that would bring up a whole other discussion that he was not prepared for. 

Basil took some group photos, photos of the couples, and some scenery pictures. 

The sun was directly above them now, and it was beating down heavily. “Man,” Kel said. “I can’t wait to jump in the lake.”

Hero agreed. “Let’s head back. It’s all downhill, how hard can it be?”

As it turns out, walking downhill isn’t so easy anymore when the incline is too steep. The descent left them sweaty and dirty as they clung to the hillside. As soon as they got to the bottom, Kel and Cris jumped into the lake and swam straight to camp. The others went around and joined them on the other side. They all relaxed in the water for a few hours.

Aubrey and Sunny laid on a rock, letting the sun dry them. “Hey Sunny, about last night...”

Sunny got nervous. Did she not mean what she said? 

“Do you want to know who the last person to say that to me was? My dad.”

He looked over at her.

“And then he left. He told me he loved me and then he was gone forever.”

He didn’t really know what to say, so he kept listening.

“Even at the time, I knew he didn’t really mean it.” She met Sunny’s gaze. “But I know you did. You’re the type of person who says what they mean.”

“So are you.”

She laughed. “My track record says otherwise. Remember when I called you a psychopath?” She looked up at the sky. “I mean it. I do love you. And I’m not just saying that because it’s your birthday.” They both laughed.

Once it got dark everyone gathered around the small fire Hero made. “Are we allowed to have fires up here?” Aubrey said.

Hero didn’t answer. He just smiled.

She put on a devious grin. “Wow, Hero, that’s very irresponsible of you.” 

“Hey, as long as we’re careful. I couldn’t let the trip end without some...” He pulled a bag of marshmallows out of his pack. “Birthday S’mores!” He opened the bag and everyone got marshmallows. Kel kept trying and failing to achieve a perfect golden marshmallow, giving the rejects to Aubrey, who didn’t mind the black part. Hero also pulled some hot dogs out of his cooler, and started roasting a few. 

As soon as Sunny took a bite of his S’more, Hero initiated the Happy Birthday song. Normally, Sunny would be feeling extremely awkward. But this time, he was feeling a powerful contentment. Everyone was here with him, having the time of their lives. Exactly one year ago, he hadn’t even remembered his own birthday. His mom got him a cake, and he ate a few bites. He spent the rest of the day sleeping, as usual. But right now Sunny was beyond happy to be alive, with his friends who love him despite his flaws, despite the four years spent suppressing the truth. 

The song ended, but the warm feeling remained.

Sunny imagined Mari sitting next to him. It was a lot harder to picture her these days. The memory of her face faded over the years, becoming more of an emotion than an image. He wished on every star he could see that she was still here. Stop bringing her to life in your head. It never makes things better. He thought about how he’d give anything to have the real Mari back. How he’d give up his other eye if it could bring her back. Maybe if you think hard enough, it’ll be like she’s really here. Her face became clear, and saddened. “Sunny, please stop doing this to yourself.” He blinked, and she was gone. 

“Sunny, you want ketchup?” Hero held up a half-empty bottle. 

“N-no thanks.” He preferred most foods plain. You idiot. You were so happy, and you made yourself sad for no reason. Being with your friends makes you think about Mari. Being with your friends makes you sad. You don’t like them. They don’t like you.

Sunny stopped thinking and took Aubrey’s hand. How long have we been sitting here? It was just the two of them and Hero. Aubrey was talking to Hero about school. The others were already asleep. The fire was dying down. 

“We should probably put the fire out and get some sleep.” Hero went down to the lake to get water.

Sunny put his head on Aubrey’s shoulder. She ran her fingers through his hair. “You okay?”

“I’m alright. Just thinking about her.”

She sighed. “Me too.”

Hero put the fire out and said goodnight. Sunny and Aubrey got up to follow him, but she pulled Sunny into a hug first. “Happy birthday, Sunny. I love you.”

There were no dreams that night.

July 21

Sunny was the last to wake up this morning. Hero fried up the last of the bacon for breakfast, and then they all packed up and started the long journey back to the parking area. Everyone looked and smelled awful, but such is life when away from civilisation. The way back was easy, but with the exhaustion of the last two days and the heavy packs weighing them down. They took even more breaks than last time.

They finally got to the car after what felt like days. Sitting down, they let out a groan in unison. Hero turned back to everyone with a grin on his disheveled face. “So, that was fun. Would you do it again?” They all responded with some variation of “probably”. 

Sunny noticed Aubrey was looking at him. “What’s up?”

“Oh nothing, you just got kinda sunburnt.”

He laughed, but he didn’t exactly know why it was funny.

Sunny slept on Aubrey’s shoulder for most of the trip home. Basil secretly took a picture of it. When they got to Kel’s house, Sunny said goodbye to everyone, thanked them for such a great birthday, and went to the bus station. Great, it’s still an hour bus ride. He looked to his right and saw Basil standing there. 

“Hey Sunny, could you call me at some point today? I just... remembered that I wanted to ask you about Something.”


	5. Something you said

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basil feels like he missed something important.

Sunny got home and took a shower. His mom was still at work, so he decided to call Basil now. 

“Hey Sunny. This has kinda been on my mind a lot lately. I just wanted to know more about what happened in the hospital. It’s almost been a year, huh?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Well, I was unconscious, so... I never got to hear what you said. And what the others said.”

Sunny didn’t respond.

“Just, you know... to give this all some closure.”

You can’t talk to Basil right now. 

Sunny hanged up the phone. Hung. It’s only hanged when it’s a person. 

He went straight to bed, even though it wasn’t even close to dark out. 

Basil held the silent phone, shaking. I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have brought it up like this. He put the phone down. Stay calm. Water your plants. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about it, so he decided to go outside. Not knowing what happened was like a photo missing from the album. Why wouldn’t Sunny talk to him about it? If everyone was forgiving, what is there to hide? Basil started to doubt everything. Was everyone just hanging out with him because Sunny forced them to? 

He ended up at the lake, not sure why. Aubrey and the scooter gang were there, talking about the camping trip. They noticed Basil.

“Hey Basil.” Aubrey said, casually.

Basil froze, suddenly sweating.

Aubrey stepped toward him. “Basil?”

“Stop! Leave me alone!” He covered his face.

She stepped back in shock. “Hey, it’s me. What’s wrong?”

Basil came back to reality. “S-sorry. It’s not a big deal.”

“Basil, you can tell me anything. You know that.” She turned back to the others. “You guys go on ahead, I’m gonna talk to Basil.” They left. “Are you okay?”

“I called Sunny, and he hang-“ He winced. “He hung up on me.”

She sighed. “Yep. He does that sometimes. It’s just his way of avoiding difficult conversations. It makes me mad sometimes, but I understand why he does it.”

“I just wanted to ask him about... the hospital.”

“Well, I’ll be honest, Basil. You’re lucky you were asleep for all that.” 

“What?”

“I’m just saying, it wasn’t all smiles and tears. We talked about... SO much more than Mari. For a few hours or so.” She laughed. “It really wasn’t pretty. We’re a mess.”

“I just feel like I missed something really important.”

“I understand. It was an important moment, as painful as it was. But the time we spend together in the present... will always be more important than the past.”

He smiled. “You’re right.”

She put a hand on his shoulder. “Remember, Basil. I promise that nobody is harboring bad feelings toward you. We all love you very much.” They hugged each other. “Do you want me to call Sunny?”

“No, that’s alright, thank you. I should probably go home, I bet Polly’s wondering where I went. Bye, Aubrey. Thanks for being such a good friend.” He went home, and Aubrey went to go find her friends.

Late at night, Basil’s phone rang. He answered it, surprised anyone would be calling this late. “Hello?”

“Basil, I’m so sorry.” It was Sunny.

“Sunny, it’s alright, you don’t-“

“I want to tell you everything.”

“A-are you sure?”

Sunny wasn’t sure, but he wanted to try. “Yes. After we fought, I had a dream. I finally got to play my violin with Mari. When I woke up, I knew I needed to tell the truth. So I went to find your room.” He paused. “Everyone was around your bed. They all looked so tired. I told them that I had to tell them something. And then I-“ His voice broke. “This is... what I said to them.” He took a deep breath. “‘On the day of the recital, Mari and I were practicing. I just got so stressed out, and I didn’t want to do it anymore. I just couldn’t do it. So I broke my Violin. I threw it down the stairs.’”

“Sunny, you- you don’t have to keep going.”

“‘Mari saw it, and she started yelling at me. I- I hated hearing her yell. I tried walking away. She said she wasn’t done talking.’”

“Sunny, please.”

“‘She wouldn’t let me go, so I pushed her away. She- she fell down the stairs.’” Both of them were softly crying now. “‘She wasn’t breathing, so I carried her to her bed. She didn’t- she didn’t wake up.’ At that point... I think Hero realized what happened. He just stood there shaking and crying. Aubrey was still confused, and Kel was just... in shock. I said, ‘Basil was at my house, he saw everything. I didn’t realise it was him, but he told me to-‘“

“Sunny, please... stop, I’m going to hang up.” He didn’t.

“‘He told me to take Mari to the backyard. And we-‘“ He was sobbing. “‘We hanged her together. We hanged Mari from a tree.’ Aubrey... was on her knees, crying loudly into her hands. Practically screaming. Kel was trying to comfort Hero but... he looked so dead. I was still just standing there, looking at them. Nobody was saying anything. But then I broke down, and it really shocked me, but Aubrey and Kel came and hugged me then. We stayed like that for a while. Then Hero hugged me and said, ‘I’m so sorry you went through that. I know how much you loved Mari. You were so young. You made a mistake, but you’ll always be family to me. I forgive you. I know Mari wouldn’t want me to leave you behind.’ I might never understand how they were so forgiving.” He laughed, still crying. “We have great friends, don’t we?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we really do.”

“After that... everything came out. I told them about the times I thought about hurting myself, all of the nightmares, ruining your photos, Aubrey told us about her dad leaving, Hero told us about his depression, Kel talked about his loneliness... it was rough. Raw. We didn’t hold anything back. Then I asked them if they would forgive... you. Of course Hero and Kel did, right then. Aubrey was reluctant. She kind of avoided the question. Then they... they all left before you woke up. I don’t blame them for that. They were still really shaken up.”

Basil started crying again. “Yeah. I remember. I didn’t see any of them again until Kel’s birthday. Do you think they... were being unfair?”

“Well, I think... forgiving us at all was unfair. I guess that’s what forgiveness is.”

“And then I woke up, and I was so relieved to see you. You smiled at me for the first time in years, and I knew what happened. And then you sat by my bed, and we talked like friends again.” He sighed. “I’m so glad you’re my friend.”

“Me too, Basil. We’ve come a long way together. I’ll visit again soon. I’m gonna get some sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Sunny.”

September 4, 2001

Over a year since leaving Faraway, Sunny felt truly healed. Today was his first day of real high school, and he’d be starting senior year with kids he didn’t know. He was nervous, but he knew that was normal. He wasn’t afraid of anyone noticing his scar, or asking him why he was so quiet, or asking him why he doesn’t smile. He felt at peace with himself, with his friends, with the world, with Mari. Sunny’s phone rang as he stepped out onto his porch. It was Aubrey, who was also going back to school today.

“Hi Aubrey.”

“Hi Sunny.” He could hear Basil and Kel saying hi to him on the other end. “We’re walking to school right now, but I hope you have a good first day. I know you’re nervous, but please try to make some new friends. I know you can do it.”

“I will. I think it’s going to be a good year for me. You have a good day too. Tell everyone I said hi.”

“Bye, Sunny. Love you.”

“Love you. Bye.”

Sunny put the phone in his pocket and started walking to school. He imagined Mari walking next to him. This time, he didn’t feel sad, or guilty, or afraid. He let her stay for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this little thing. I never thought I’d write a fanfic but here we are 🤷♂️ I put more energy into this thing than I’d care to admit, but I guess I’m kind of proud of it. Probably not gonna do any more though. I love this game and the characters so much. I hope you found this to be a good interpretation.


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